Mar Del Plata = Sunburn trap of the World
Me and 3 other girls had plans to go to Mar Del Plata this past weekend. It’s the city in Argentina famous for its beautiful beaches. At 2 a.m. Friday night, our bus left the station here in Buenos Aires. At 7:30 a.m., we arrived in Mar Del Plata!!! It was hot and beautiful and not a cloud in the sky. The only issue we had in the morning was my near-disaster episode when I couldn’t find a public restroom, had to pee, and nearly exploded. Then, we laid out at the beach for the next 5 hours. At 8 a.m. we were one of the first people there, but a couple hours later, it was absolutely packed!!
Beaches are different in two aspects. 1) There are constantly people walking around selling things. They hover over your towel and you have to try not to make eye contact. 2) Apparently they’re against bathing suit bottoms. Almost everyone wore thong bottoms. Yes, even old large ladies with much cellulite. Also, men in Speedos – not usually a pretty site.
I swam in the ocean by myself for a really long time. Well, not by myself, but with a couple thousand Argentinean strangers. Even though I wasn’t with any friends that I knew, I was literally laughing out loud to myself every time I would get knocked down by the waves. It was beautiful and I was having the time of my life! One thing that this trip has taught me is that I don’t always need to be surrounded by friends. Sometimes, it’s okay to be alone and just appreciate where you are.
Back in the States, I NEVER burn. It takes a LOT of sun to make Karen pink. Therefore, why would I want to spent 45 pesos if I "don't ever burn"?? I LOOK LIKE A VALENTINE’S DAY CARD. I could be one of those live-person telegram things like in the movie Elf. Seriously just paint a heart on my belly and call me good.
So at 3 p.m., we decided that we were burnt and miserable and hated our lives, so we found our hostel and after a couple hours of crying/yelling/complaining/cold showering/aloe-applying/giving the silent treatment to the girl from Asia who never burns. . . we slept. With a blanket to cover the window because we hate the sun. The devil made the sun.
Then, we went to a cute café in the night and I ordered a Cesar salad because it was the first place I’ve seen here that has those! And of course, Cesar is close to ranch. I was happier than a puppy. Too bad when I got it, the white dressing was I think fish guts.
ps: Flan is the new best thing of my life.
2 of the girls wanted to go back to the hostel, but Tracy and I went for a walk at midnight down to the beach. We walked for a couple hours. It was BEAUTIFUL! I made friends with a couple stray dogs. We walked up on a sidewalk that overlooks the ocean from the top of a hill. SOOO glad I didn’t go back to the hostel. They thought that it wouldn’t be safe (girls alone at night), but it is so different here. At 1:30 a.m. it is completely normal to see little kids riding their tricycles outside and old people galore chillin on the streets.
The hostel was awesome. I was excited to meet people from all over the world, but then disappointed to find out they don't speak Ingles OR Espanol.
Tracy KNEW that I wasn’t in the mood for a boliche (club) because it would be inevitable that people would bump into my sunburn. Low and behold, we went to a boliche. I asked a guy how much it cost to get in and apparently he works there and with his friend, took the two of us in as his dates. This included VIP wristbands with free everything!!! I love free stuff and cool blue wristbands more than I even like to drink. I made it an early night because I was feeling miserable and dehydrated from my sunburnt. The clubs don’t open till 2 so I guess 4:30 is an early night here. This means that I had over a 2 hour conversation with a guy in Castellano!!! Usually, there is always another American who adds to the conversation. Even though I didn’t want to go to a club, it was worth it, just to I could talk for that long in Spanish and learn some of the slang words and phrases. That was the best practice that I’ve gotten in a long time.
In the morning, we covered our skin and walked to a park to sit in the shade and eat fruit from the 10,000 fruit stands on every street corner.
This trip in general allowed me to meet and converse with more Argentineans than ever! I mustered the courage to start dialogue with random people in bathrooms, waiting for the bus, a sweet girl who was on my bus, and old woman who tried to hook me up with her grandson, etc. Twas great great practice.
Ps: Smoking is 94% more common here. It's not even weird to see 15 yr olds smoking with their parents.
Then, a day of traveling back to Buenos Aires. That 5 hour bus ride where I wasn’t allowed to let my back touch the seat was just a joy. Once we got off the bus, no one talked on the subte. We were all ready to come home.
However, my lovely host mom had empanadas sitting on the table waiting for me. J The trip was sooo worth it.
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